FANS WEIGH IN: Did American Horror Story Go Too Far?

FANS WEIGH IN: Did American Horror Story Go Too Far By Portraying Real Life Murder Case?Caution, Content In This Article Is For Mature Audiences, Contains Spoilers, And NSFW Photos

American Horror Story on the FX channel has gotten people buzzing again but this time for more than just racy depictions of sex and fictitious murders. This time they have featured a story line that is of a real life matter; The murder of Elizabeth Short aka Black Dahlia.

Courtesy of FX networks

Fans and critics alike have taken to the interwebs to praise and condemn the show for adding this plot and portraying how her murder happened within the house. One comment I read from a disturbed viewer stated that it was in poor taste and they are now “glorifying” the poor girl’s death. (I am so glad you can’t see my face as I am writing this)

As many of you know, Elizabeth Short’s body was found on January 15, 1947 in an Limert Park in Los Angeles, CA. The body was horribly mutilated, cut in half, drained of blood, washed, posed, then laid out in a vacant lot where it was found by a woman who was walking along the park with her child.

Speculation about the murder has caused this to be one of the most infamous murders in US history and dominated the newspapers all over the world for months. Rumors and whispers have long guided investigation of the case and probably for that reason, it has yet to be solved. People believe only a scorned lover and surgeon could have been so cruel and so precise as to mutilate the body the way it had cut up, dissected, and drained.

Short’s murder has been the basis for many true crime books and films in which the murder is either “solved” by the author or glorified in some type of love plot (will not mention the title of the crappy film that the last description explains, I am still considering suing for false advertisement and emotional distress from having to watch such a sappy piece of crap). Many have said they know who the killer is yet no real proof has even been delivered. All I know is you have to be one mean SOB to do this to someone’s face:

In the American Horror Story episode, Mina Suvari, who portrays Short, and goes to Ben for counseling to help her feel better about her life. As they always do, they show how Short was murdered in the house and eventually dissected for “easy removal” from the home. This is what has gotten some people so upset, the fact that they are using a real life murder and also fictionalizing her death in a sense. So now for your part…
YOU TELL US, did AHS go too far by adding in the subplot of the Short murder or are people just being too sensitive?
Leave your comments in the section below.

6 Responses to FANS WEIGH IN: Did American Horror Story Go Too Far?

” Makes me want to watch the show now. The Lizzie Short case is fascinating even if its mostly been solved (read The Black Dhalia avenger, very interesting) I’m curious to see what they bring. Oh! And art and life will always be tied together, if it offends people they can just stick with their shiny vampires and vapid storylines.”

People realize that a lot of books and films are portraying actual crimes right? lol Art, whether it be musicial, written, or visual, is one of the great last freedoms we have as Americans. I think if anything. It will create more interest into the case itself and in a way, morbidly, it keeps Elizabeth Shorts memory alive. She was an actress. I can not believe I am going to say this, but, it places her back on the screen. I think the Josh Hartnet or Ulli Lommel films should be crucified for making a quick dollar off of the case itself. Those two films should be scrutinized for capitalizing off of her death. At least American Horror Story brought a horrifying surrealism to her death.

I agree with you. I think the whole uproar is because people don’t actually sit and think how much of real life makes it into television and is given a fictitious spin. LAW AND ORDER is one that takes a lot of real life cases and changes a few things to put it into their show. No one boycotts them for it. How about CSI? They do the same thing. Does the fact that this is a more famous case make it more offensive than the other shows? This is just my opinion of course and not the opinion of the rest of the staff at HNN. I have to say that as I don’t know how the rest of them feel. I just think it is completely silly that people are saying they are capitalizing off of her murder but didn’t raise cain when the horrible films were let out and still continue to watch crime shows that base themselves on real life. People happen to amaze me.

For me, AHS was always more of a “what if?” kinda program. Like “From Hell” & others of it’s ilk, it’s fun to see someone spin new tales out of the threads of an old one. I just hope AHS-s2 has MORE of this kind of plotwork!

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